David Poile earned a chance to be general manager of the U.S. hockey team after paying his dues as an NHL general manager for more than three decades and giving up a lot of his free time to help USA Hockey.Since last summer, he spent countless hours trying to shape a roster that would give the Americans a shot to win Olympic gold for the first time since he witnessed whats known as the "Miracle on Ice," in 1980.Poile, though, wont be at the Sochi Games to see the team he helped set up.The Nashville Predators GM and former Washington Capitals executive was hit in the face by a deflected puck during an NHL game last week, a freak accident that will force him to watch the U.S. go for gold on TV from his home in Tennessee."Serving as GM of the U.S. Olympic Team has been the opportunity of a lifetime and I am forever grateful to USA Hockey," Poile said Monday in a statement from the Predators. "However, it is not possible for me to travel at this time, but I will remain in contact with Ray Shero, Brian Burke, Jim Johansson and our coaching staff during the games."Team USA is in great hands and I will be there in spirit. I wish all the best for our players, coaches and entire group as they begin play in the 2014 Olympics and go for the gold."Poile is recovering from surgery and stitches he needed after the puck hit him while he was standing in a tunnel behind the Predators bench in Minnesota."I first want to thank everyone who has reached out to me since suffering this injury," Poile said. "The outpouring of support and comfort has been overwhelming."He led a selection committee that picked the Olympic team after months of work, and his role during the 12-day tournament would have been largely behind the scenes in a supporting role."To hear that he had been hurt and to know that hes not going to be coming over is a huge disappointment," U.S. coach Dan Bylsma said.Shero, who is general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, will be acting GM in Sochi."Having worked with Dave for eight years in Nashville, and knowing, as I told the team, how much passion, time and effort he has put into putting this team together, its disappointing," Shero said.Poile won the Lester Patrick award in 2001 for his contributions to hockey in the U.S., and is a three-time finalist for NHL GM of the year. He has also filled various roles with USA Hockey.He was the associate GM for the U.S. at the Olympics four years ago, when he assisted Burke after he dealt with tragedy. Burkes 21-year-old son, Brendan, died Feb. 5, 2010, in a car accident, and he skipped the opening ceremony of the Vancouver Games. cheap nfl jerseys . Bruce Arthur, National Post:  BC Lions- Since Labour Day theyve been the best team in this league by a mile and I dont think this game will be particularly close. cheap wholesale jerseys . Zoran Dragic scored 23 points for Slovenia in a game between two quarterfinal losers. Slovenia will play for fifth place and Serbia for seventh. http://www.uscheapwholesalejerseys.com/. In the mens tournament, Novak Djokovic withdrew before the start of the event because of a right wrist injury that had already affected his play at Monte Carlo last month. "I did everything possible in order to play in Madrid," Djokovic said.The Pittsburgh Penguins didnt change a whole lot after being swept by the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference final. Coach Dan Bylsma, centre Evgeni Malkin and defencemen Kris Letang got contract extensions, and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury got a vote of confidence. But on Friday the team announced the addition of seasoned coach Jacques Martin as an assistant, a move that could be a minor tweak for a Stanley Cup contender or a major change for Bylsma and his staff. General manager Ray Shero indicated that Bylsma initiated talks with Martin with the idea of adding experience. Bylsma said it wasnt just a response to the Penguins surprising playoff exit. "I think weve always looked at situations where we need to be able to get better at and improve upon. We certainly did that after this year," Bylsma said on a conference call with reporters. "We want someone with maybe a little bit different look at things from a different perspective." The 60-year-old Martin brings a unique perspective, having won 613 of 1,294 games in parts of 17 seasons as an NHL head coach. He won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year with the Ottawa Senators in 1999 and is 10th all-time in victories. Martin most recently spent three seasons coaching the Montreal Canadiens before being fired and replaced by Randy Cunneyworth midway through the 2011-12 season. He hasnt been an assistant since 1995-96 with the Cup-champion Colorado Avalanche, but Martin isnt worried about stepping back into that role. "I think Ive always looked at coaching, whether Im the head coach or an assistant coach as teamwork, working together," Martin said. "Yes we have different responsibilities, but Ive always felt that I wanted my assistant coaches to be strong-minded, strong people that express themselves." The Penguins werent sure if Martin would join Bylsma and assistants Tony Granato and Todd Reirden behind the bench for games as their specific roles are expected to become more defined after training camp. Martin is hoping to learn from those younger coaches and also plans to lean on past experience in Ottawa with late mentor Roger Neilson. "Roger happened to be one of my assistant coaches at the end of his career, and he was tremendous," Martin said. "I think I can relate to what Roger brought to my coaching style and to our team in Ottawa when he worked as an assistant.dddddddddddd I can bring some of those same contributions, same knowledge and commitment to Dan and to the rest of our staff and the Penguins organization." Martin had a previous connection to Shero from some time together with the Senators, but it was Bylsma who apparently sought him out as an assistant-coaching candidate. Bylsma said the plan to hire another assistant had been discussed in previous years, but everything came together to add Martin after a couple of months of conversations. "We werent just looking for a coach, we were looking for a criteria of a coach and an experience of a coach," Bylsma said. "The expertise that comes with Jacques, his experience in the game at many different levels is really what we want to add to our team." Martin has never won a Cup as a head coach but has a ring from the Avalanche. In going to Pittsburgh, Martin expressed excitement about joining a team that sees winning it all as a "mandate." The Penguins hope hiring Martin helps them return to the top of the NHL for the first time since 2009. "Were a salary cap league now for eight years or so," Shero said. "Theres other areas in which you try to improve your team off the ice. This is just another avenue trying to do that, to add to our coaching staff, to make us a better team, and thats simply what were trying to do." One way for Martin to make an impact could be by helping Letang round out his defensive game. Reirden has been in charge of the blue-line and might continue in that role, but Martin brings with him the experience of overseeing the growth of young defencemen like Chris Phillips and Wade Redden in Ottawa. Bylsma said Letang, who this summer signed a US$58-million, eight-year extension, has "improved dramatically." But of course theres room for some work. "From the outside, from coaching against him, theres no doubt that he has tremendous vision, has tremendous offensive skill," Martin said. "I think like many other young defencemen I think its moving without the puck, its improving, playing maybe more of a controlled game. ... "Im looking forward to that opportunity as well as the other great players on this team." ' ' '